Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass

ABSTRACT

A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a high level of resistane to leaf spot and melting out disease; a medium to high level of resistance to several rust diseases and dollar spot; a dark green color throughout the growing season; a good level of drought tolerance; high quality dense persistent turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; and a medium level of seed yielding capacity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis that has been designated Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass.

2. Description of Related Art

Kentucky bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 3,156, issued May 9, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 3,186, issued May 23, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 6,280, issued Sep. 6, 1988; U.S. Pat. Nos. P.P. 6,538 and 6,538, issued on Jan. 17, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 7,831, issued Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 8,490, issued Dec. 7, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 9,036, issued Jan. 3, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 9,209, issued Jul. 18, 1995; and pending U.S. Plant patent applications Ser. No. 08/453,864, filed May 30, 1995, and Ser. No. 08/532,995, filed Sep. 22, 1995.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Ba 77-279 plant material originated by crossing Ba73-709, an unreleased Kentucky bluegrass plant maintained in the O. M. Scott plant nursery, as the seed parent with a Merion Kentucky bluegrass plant as the pollen parent. As a result of this breeding, a distinct variety was produced and asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules.

Seed of Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass was produced first at Marysville, Ohio and later at Gervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluation trials and later seed production fields. Asexual production of Ba 77-279 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistently produced progeny plants indistinguishable from the mother plant. The apomixis level of Ba 77-279 is approximately 89% based upon examining seedling characeristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from different crop years in a growth chamber.

Ba 77-279 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a high level of resistance to Drechslera spp. that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot; a medium to high level of resistance to Puccinia spp. that causes several types of rust infections and Schlerotinia homoeocarpa that causes dollar spot. Ba 77-279 has an attractive leafy turf growth habit; moderately wide leaf blades and an attractive dark green color which can be maintained throughout the entire growing season. Ba 77-279 demonstrates good drought tolerance and excellent turf performance as evidenced by consistently high scores for quality, color and density. Ba 77-279 has a medium seed yield potential in the bluegrass seed production region of the northwestern U.S.

In comparison with a number of other bluegrass varieties, Ba 77-279 is average for seed size, number of whorls per panicle, vegetative leaf width, and ligule length. Ba 77-279 is below average in panicle length and width, number of florets per spikelet, flag leaf and vegetative leaf length and width, peduncle length and width, culm length and lemma hair content. Ba 77-279 is above average in spikelet width.

In comparison to many other varieties, Ba 77-279 is significantly greater in rachella length, spikelet length, flag leaf ligule length and internode length. Ba 77-279 has significantly less number of branches per whorl in the panicle, number of nodes in the culm and vegetative leaf ligule hair content as compared with other Bluegrass varieties. In comparison to most varieties, Ba 77-279 is significantly greater in outer and inner glume length and flag leaf thickness. Ba 77-279 is much darker green than either of its parents (Ba73-709 and Merion).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle;

FIG. 2 is a Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass seed; and

FIG. 3 is a Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass plant shortly after completing anthesis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is perennial with creeping rhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in the field under freezing temperatures and are then brought into the greenhouse during late winter to continue growth undisturbed by clipping under moderate temperatures (60°-80° F.), culms are erect averaging 36.3 cm in length and 3.0 nodes per culm and the uppermost internode averages 12.7 cm in length. The peduncle averages 20.0 cm in length and 0.64 mm in width. The flag leaf averages 4.7 cm in length, 3.5 mm in width and 0.29 mm in thickness and the ligule 1.5 mm in length. The vegetative leaf averages 17.4 cm in length, 3.4 mm in width, 0.345 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 0.22 mm.

The panicle averages 77.1 mm in length, 66.0 mm in width, and 9.2 whorls. The lowest whorl averages 2.3 branches and the third whorl from the button of the panicle average 2.1 branches. A spikelet in the lowest whorl averages 5.4 mm in length, 2.6 mm in width, 3.1 florets and the outer glume and inner glume average 3.7 and 4.1 mm in length, respectively. A spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle is 5.3 mm in length, 2.9 mm in width, 3.1 florets, and the outer glume and inner glume averages 3.7 and 4.0 mm in length, respectively.

The conditioned seed of Ba 77-279 averages 2.99 mm in length, 0.85 mm in width, and a rachilla length of 0.82 mm. The seed count for Ba 77-279 averages approximately 1,039,000 seeds per pound.

Comparisions of Ba 77-279 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in terms of seed dimension and seed numbers per pound are shown in Tables 1 and 2 as follows:

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Seed and Rachilla Measurements and                 Lemma Hair of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at              Marysville, OH After Conditioning                                                     Seed                                                                    Variety  Length mm Width mm Rachilla mm                                                                            Lemma* Hair                                ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279                                                                               2.99      .85      .82     3.4                                        Ba 74-114                                                                               3.23      0.89     0.88    4.2                                        Ba 73-366                                                                               3.04      0.91     0.80    4.4                                        Ba 73-381                                                                               3.00      0.94     0.86    4.9                                        Abbey    2.97      0.89     0.80    3.8                                        Adelphi  2.70      0.84     0.65    4.4                                        America  2.40      0.68     0.68    2.8                                        Baron    3.08      0.81     0.71    5.0                                        Bristol  2.94      0.88     0.73    4.3                                        Chateau  2.81      0.86     0.71    4.5                                        Coventry 2.71      0.81     0.70    4.0                                        Eclipse  2.77      0.83     0.68    3.5                                        Georgetown                                                                              2.94      0.82     0.74    4.9                                        Gnome    2.78      0.83     0.75    4.1                                        Kelly    3.07      0.89     0.75    4.2                                        Marquis  2.97      0.87     0.83    4.7                                        Midnight 2.94      0.76     0.78    5.7                                        Nassau   3.07      0.86     0.68    3.4                                        Ram I    3.23      0.89     0.80    6.0                                        Touchdown                                                                               2.93      0.88     0.71    4.6                                        Victa    3.00      0.80     0.82    3.5                                        LSD (.05)                                                                               0.16      0.05     0.13    0.86                                       ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = abundant row of hairs                            

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Seed Numbers Per Pound of Ba 77-279 and Other                    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Marysville, OH After Conditioning              Variety       Seeds Per Pound                                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279     1,039,000                                                        Ba 74-114       978,000                                                        Ba 73-366     1,025,586                                                        Ba 73-381     1,171,000                                                        Abbey         1,003,037                                                        Adelphi       1,383,976                                                        America       1,659,824                                                        Baron         1,051,693                                                        Bristol       1,270,821                                                        Chateau       1,300,105                                                        Coventry      1,246,200                                                        Eclipse       1,335,668                                                        Georgetown    1,431,000                                                        Gnome         1,017,641                                                        Kelly           921,166                                                        Marquis       1,054,642                                                        Midnight      1,227,000                                                        Nassau        1,127,130                                                        Ram I         1,214,000                                                        Touchdown     1,211,000                                                        Victa         1,038,298                                                        ______________________________________                                    

Ba 77-279 differs significantly morphologically from many other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to the following characteristics: (1) seed length; (2) rachilla length; (3) panicle length; (4) number of branches in the whorl; (5) spikelet length and width; (6) glume length and width; (7) culm length and internode length; (8) flag leaf thickness; and (9) vegetative leaf with and sheath color.

Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent, comparisions of morphological characteristics of Ba 77-279 were made with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties and the comparisons are set forth in the following Tables 3-8:

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Panicles, Whorl Number and Whorl                   Branches of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the            Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                                                                                Number of                                         Panicles                     Branches                                                           Length  Width Whorl Lowest                                                                               Third                               Variety Nodding* mm      mm    Number                                                                               Whorl Whorl                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279                                                                              2.4      77.1    66.0  9.2   2.3   2.1                                 Ba 74-114                                                                              2.0      88.8    62.0  9.3   2.1   2.1                                 Ba 73-366                                                                              1.6      88.8    68.4  8.8   4.3   3.7                                 Ba 73-381                                                                              1.1      80.2    55.3  9.8   4.1   3.9                                 Abbey   1.6      80.4    59.3  9.3   3.8   3.3                                 Adelphi 1.8      106.8   76.4  10.0  3.6   3.0                                 America 2.3      67.7    51.1  8.8   3.3   3.5                                 Baron   2.2      92.6    71.0  10.0  3.4   2.8                                 Bristol 2.0      85.5    61.5  8.4   2.8   2.7                                 Chateau 2.9      65.2    57.3  8.5   3.3   2.8                                 Coventry                                                                               2.5      64.0    54.2  8.4   3.3   2.5                                 Eclipse 1.3      89.2    74.0  10.7  3.3   2.1                                 Georgetown                                                                             1.0      80.0    57.0  7.4   2.1   2.6                                 Gnome   1.1      80.6    56.0  10.6  4.6   3.9                                 Kelly   2.0      88.0    70.2  9.8   4.6   3.7                                 Marquis 1.1      82.0    63.0  10.3  3.9   3.6                                 Midnight                                                                               2.0      75.8    48.4  7.1   2.9   3.0                                 Nassau  2.2      91.2    68.6  10.0  2.5   2.1                                 Ram I   1.3      67.7    47.0  7.3   3.0   3.2                                 Touchdown                                                                              1.1      73.1    75.0  7.6   2.1   2.3                                 Victa   1.7      74.9    58.3  10.0  4.7   3.5                                 LSD (.05)                                                                              0.68     7.35    8.62  0.66  0.72  0.50                                ______________________________________                                          *Rate Scale: 1-9; 9 = most nodding                                       

                  TABLE 4                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba 77-279 and             Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                                  Number                                                       Spikelet*         of Florets                                                   Lowest Whorl                                                                             Third Whorl Per Spikelet                                               Length  Width   Length                                                                               Width Lowest                                                                               Third                               Variety  mm      mm      mm    mm    Whorl Whorl                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279                                                                               5.4     2.6     5.3   2.9   3.1   3.1                                 Ba 74-114                                                                               5.6     3.2     5.6   3.3   4.1   4.1                                 Ba 73-366                                                                               4.6     2.5     4.7   2.6   2.6   2.8                                 Ba 73-381                                                                               4.7     2.4     4.6   2.6   2.7   2.7                                 Abbey    4.4     2.2     4.5   2.2   3.0   3.0                                 Adelphi  4.6     2.2     4.8   2.2   4.4   4.4                                 America  4.6     2.2     4.4   2.3   4.5   4.3                                 Baron    5.4     2.8     5.4   3.1   4.0   4.2                                 Bristol  4.9     2.4     5.0   2.5   4.2   4.5                                 Chateau  4.4     2.4     4.4   2.4   3.4   3.5                                 Coventry 4.4     2.2     4.5   2.4   3.2   3.5                                 Eclipse  4.6     2.4     4.6   2.4   3.6   3.6                                 Georgetown                                                                              5.0     2.3     5.0   2.6   4.8   4.9                                 Gnome    4.6     2.5     4.6   2.9   3.2   3.2                                 Kelly    5.1     2.5     5.2   2.8   3.7   3.8                                 Marquis  4.3     2.2     4.4   2.3   3.1   2.9                                 Midnight 5.3     2.5     5.5   2.4   4.4   4.7                                 Nassau   4.7     2.6     4.8   3.0   4.2   4.3                                 Ram I    5.4     2.6     5.3   2.8   3.6   3.4                                 Touchdown                                                                               5.1     2.9     4.8   2.8   4.1   4.0                                 Victa    4.5     2.5     4.5   2.4   3.3   3.2                                 LSD (.05)                                                                               0.41    0.35    0.38  0.35  0.58  0.53                                ______________________________________                                          *Microscope measurements                                                 

                  TABLE 5                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky             Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                                             Glume Hairs*                                              Glume Length (mm)      Lowest   Third                                          Outer          Inner       Whorl    Whorl                                             Lowest  Third   Lowest                                                                               Third      In-      In-                           Variety                                                                               Whorl   Whorl   Whorl Whorl Outer                                                                               ner Outer                                                                               ner                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279                                                                             3.7     3.7     4.1   4.0   2.1  3.0 2.0  2.3                           Ba 74-114                                                                             3.5     3.3     3.9   3.8   2.6  3.2 2.2  2.8                           Ba 73-366                                                                             2.8     2.8     3.2   3.1   1.7  1.3 1.3  2.0                           Ba 73-381                                                                             2.8     2.9     3.2   3.1   1.7  2.3 2.1  2.3                           Abbey  2.7     2.7     3.1   3.1   0.6  0.9 1.0  1.0                           Adelphi                                                                               2.7     2.6     3.0   3.1   0.6  2.7 1.1  1.9                           America                                                                               2.1     2.1     2.5   2.5   0.2  0.5 0.3  0.3                           Baron  3.1     3.2     3.6   3.7   4.8  4.4 4.2  4.6                           Bristol                                                                               2.8     3.0     3.3   3.4   1.0  2.2 0.8  2.2                           Chateau                                                                               2.8     2.9     3.1   3.2   1.5  2.6 2.0  1.8                           Coventry                                                                              2.7     2.8     3.1   3.1   1.5  2.7 1.6  2.4                           Eclipse                                                                               3.0     3.0     3.4   3.4   1.5  1.9 1.8  1.9                           George-                                                                               2.8     2.8     3.1   3.1   1.7  2.7 1.2  2.4                           town                                                                           Gnome  2.8     2.9     3.3   3.3   1.0  1.9 1.2  1.6                           Kelly  3.0     3.1     3.4   3.5   1.3  1.5 1.1  0.8                           Marquis                                                                               2.8     2.7     3.1   3.1   0.9  1.1 1.7  1.8                           Midnight                                                                              2.6     2.6     3.0   3.1   1.8  2.8 1.0  2.4                           Nassau 2.6     2.7     2.9   3.0   2.1  2.6 4.2  4.4                           Ram I  2.9     3.0     3.6   3.5   1.1  2.3 0.7  1.2                           Touch- 3.3     3.3     3.8   3.8   0.7  2.1 1.1  1.4                           down                                                                           Victa  2.8     2.7     3.1   3.1   0.8  1.1 1.1  1.3                           LSD (.05)                                                                             0.23    0.22    0.22  0.23  0.9  0.9 0.9  0.9                           ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = many hairs                                       

                  TABLE 6                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves of Ba 77-279 and Other                 Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                       Length  Width   Thickness                                                                             Leaf  Leaf  Ligule                              Variety cm      mm      mm     Angle.sup.1/                                                                         Curve.sup.2/                                                                         mm                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279                                                                              4.7     3.5     0.29   2.1   4.5   1.5                                 Ba 74-114                                                                              5.3     3.4     0.23   1.4   5.0   1.2                                 Ba 73-366                                                                              4.5     3.6     0.18   5.1   4.4   1.5                                 Ba 73-381                                                                              4.3     3.5     0.22   1.9   5.0   1.3                                 Abbey   3.8     3.4     0.14   2.7   4.1   1.3                                 Adelphi 5.7     3.4     0.18   5.2   5.0   1.1                                 America 4.3     2.6     0.21   4.6   5.0   0.6                                 Baron   7.0     4.2     0.15   9.2   4.4   1.2                                 Bristol 4.3     3.2     0.21   2.3   5.0   0.6                                 Chateau 4.0     2.7     0.19   3.4   2.0   0.9                                 Coventry                                                                               3.7     3.0     0.14   0.7   4.3   0.9                                 Eclipse 3.9     3.2     0.19   8.7   5.0   1.1                                 Georgetown                                                                             5.7     2.8     0.22   1.9   5.0   0.6                                 Gnome   4.5     3.5     0.18   4.3   5.0   0.8                                 Kelly   4.8     4.1     0.18   3.1   4.4   1.5                                 Marquis 5.5     3.6     0.24   2.7   4.6   0.8                                 Midnight                                                                               3.8     2.6     0.19   1.1   5.0   0.4                                 Nassau  6.0     3.7     0.19   5.9   4.7   1.1                                 Ram I   3.4     3.1     0.19   1.0   4.8   0.7                                 Touchdown                                                                              4.1     2.7     0.16   3.4   4.1   1.1                                 Victa   3.9     3.7     0.27   2.1   4.6   1.3                                 LSD (.05)                                                                              1.0     0.42    0.025  2.50  0.40  0.17                                ______________________________________                                                            Hairs.sup.3/                                                                     Leaf            Sheath                                                 Variety Margin  Ligule  Color.sup.4/                              ______________________________________                                                      Ba 77-279                                                                              0.6     0.7     0.9                                                    Ba 74-114                                                                              0.5     2.1     1.8                                                    Ba 73-366                                                                              0.4     2.2     0.5                                                    Ba 73-381                                                                              0.4     3.6     1.5                                                    Abbey   0.8     1.6     0.2                                                    Adelphi 1.8     1.6     0.4                                                    America 0.4     0.7     1.9                                                    Baron   1.0     3.8     2.6                                                    Bristol 0.4     1.9     2.0                                                    Chateau 1.1     3.1     0.3                                                    Coventry                                                                               0.8     1.7     2.0                                                    Eclipse 1.0     1.0     0.2                                                    Georgetown                                                                             0.6     2.0     2.0                                                    Gnome   0.9     3.2     1.5                                                    Kelly   1.1     2.5     2.2                                                    Marquis 0.5     3.8     1.5                                                    Midnight                                                                               0.4     0.3     2.0                                                    Nassau  2.6     2.4     0.8                                                    Ram I   0.5     1.3     2.0                                                    Touchdown                                                                              1.0     1.0     7.7                                                    Victa   1.0     0.8     0.5                                                    LSD (.05)                                                                              0.47    0.70    0.76                                      ______________________________________                                          .sup.1/ Degrees from the stem                                                  .sup.2/ Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down        .sup.3/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many                                  .sup.4/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple                 

                  TABLE 7                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Node Numbers Per                 Culm and Internode Length of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass            Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                                                            Culm          Top                                            Peduncle Peduncle Length Nodes  Internode                              Variety Length cm                                                                               Width mm cm     Per Culm                                                                              Length cm                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279                                                                              20.0     0.64     36.3   3.0    12.7                                   Ba 74-114                                                                              24.7     0.71     44.9   3.7    13.4                                   Ba 73-366                                                                              26.4     0.70     42.7   4.1    9.2                                    Ba 73-381                                                                              24.3     0.81     39.5   3.1    10.8                                   Abbey   23.2     0.65     41.3   4.1    11.0                                   Adelphi 24.5     0.66     40.0   4.0    10.4                                   America 16.2     0.62     31.8   3.1    11.0                                   Baron   34.0     0.70     52.8   4.2    12.8                                   Bristol 22.9     0.73     43.5   4.0    12.6                                   Chateau 20.7     0.61     38.9   4.4    9.9                                    Coventry                                                                               19.6     0.49     34.7   4.5    7.9                                    Eclipse 23.7     0.66     39.2   4.9    9.9                                    Georgetown                                                                             21.7     0.68     37.5   3.2    11.1                                   Gnome   19.4     0.84     35.3   3.1    9.2                                    Kelly   29.4     0.75     46.6   3.6    11.8                                   Marquis 27.1     0.83     34.1   3.4    7.8                                    Midnight                                                                               20.5     0.72     29.5   2.8    7.6                                    Nassau  25.0     0.66     36.0   3.9    7.4                                    Ram I   22.2     0.69     30.5   2.5    6.6                                    Touchdown                                                                              23.6     0.52     38.0   4.0    8.4                                    Victa   21.2     0.81     37.9   3.7    10.3                                   LSD (.05)                                                                              3.17     0.077    3.32   0.44   1.94                                   ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 8                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves of Ba 77-279 and Other           Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                               Thickness                                                                             Leaf                                                    Variety Length cm                                                                               Width mm mm     Angle.sup.1/                                                                          Curve.sup.2/                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279                                                                              17.4     3.4      0.34   67.9   5.5                                    Ba 74-114                                                                              18.9     4.5      0.36   50.9   5.0                                    Ba 73-366                                                                              22.9     3.8      0.40   53.0   7.1                                    Ba 73-381                                                                              22.1     3.3      0.30   62.5   8.2                                    Abbey   20.7     3.6      0.28   51.3   7.4                                    Adelphi 19.4     3.7      0.28   67.0   4.6                                    America 21.4     3.1      0.32   66.0   6.4                                    Baron   18.2     4.3      0.29   35.0   4.4                                    Bristol 18.2     3.7      0.32   65.5   6.9                                    Chateau 23.1     3.3      0.33   39.7   5.4                                    Coventry                                                                               23.4     3.6      0.25   63.0   7.3                                    Eclipse 20.3     4.4      0.30   65.5   5.4                                    Georgetown                                                                             19.5     3.6      0.29   56.7   5.8                                    Gnome   18.2     2.9      0.29   43.2   6.6                                    Kelly   22.8     3.9      0.30   55.5   7.0                                    Marquis 19.7     3.7      0.38   46.4   7.8                                    Midnight                                                                               19.5     3.5      0.31   63.3   5.0                                    Nassau  16.3     3.7      0.29   63.2   4.9                                    Ram I   19.1     3.6      0.27   70.8   6.5                                    Touchdown                                                                              16.7     3.7      0.24   51.3   4.0                                    Victa   21.5     3.6      0.36   56.3   6.7                                    LSD (.05)                                                                              3.50     0.43     0.044  15.90  1.54                                   ______________________________________                                                    Hairs.sup.3/                                                                Ligule   Leaf     Leaf   Sheath  Sheath                                Variety Length mm                                                                               Ligule   Margin Roughness.sup.4/                                                                       Color.sup.5/                          ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279                                                                              0.22     1.5      2.0    8.8     0.2                                   Ba 74-114                                                                              0.14     3.3      2.6    8.7     2.0                                   Ba 73-366                                                                              0.23     5.2      4.2    8.5     0.0                                   Ba 73-381                                                                              0.16     3.2      0.7    8.2     2.0                                   Abbey   0.32     4.4      2.8    7.7     0.0                                   Adelphi 0.34     2.6      3.4    8.8     0.0                                   America 0.12     1.7      2.1    8.4     2.0                                   Baron   0.33     4.6      3.6    7.4     0.4                                   Bristol 0.12     2.6      3.0    8.9     2.0                                   Chateau 0.22     3.3      3.1    7.8     0.5                                   Coventry                                                                               0.32     3.1      2.4    8.1     0.3                                   Eclipse 0.38     2.8      2.6    9.0     0.2                                   Georgetown                                                                             0.14     2.5      2.4    8.5     2.0                                   Gnome   0.23     1.6      0.8    7.5     1.4                                   Kelly   0.34     4.6      2.4    8.8     0.0                                   Marquis 0.21     3.6      1.1    6.8     1.1                                   Midnight                                                                               0.10     1.3      1.6    7.7     2.0                                   Nassau  0.34     2.5      3.3    8.5     1.4                                   Ram I   0.09     1.8      2.0    7.7     2.0                                   Touchdown                                                                              0.29     1.4      1.3    7.9     8.0                                   Victa   0.26     2.3      1.7    7.9     0.1                                   LSD (.05)                                                                              0.045    0.79     0.70   0.89    0.57                                  ______________________________________                                          .sup.1/ Degrees from the stem                                                  .sup.2/ Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down        .sup.3/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many                                  .sup.4/ Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = rough; 9 = smooth                               .sup.5/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple color           

Ba 77-279 has been an outstanding performer as exhibited by high turf quality ratings and dark green color at a number of locations across the U.S. in comparison to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. With regard to a comparataive analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba 77-279 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba 77-279 during mid-May while the turf was actively growing with adequate nutrient and water availability. The readings were taken in full sun with several actively growing leaves being compared, one at a time, utilizing color chips from the Munsell Book of Color as a reference. On this basis, the color of Ba 77-279 was determined to be 7.5 GY 4/4. During the same time period, the color of similar leaves of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties were determined by the same procedure to be as follows: Ba 74-114 -- 7.5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-381 -- 5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-366 -- 5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-540 -- 5 GY 4/4; Abbey -- 5 GY 3/4; and Coventry -- 5 GY 4/4. However, it should be noted that the general apparent color of turf does not always correlate directly with the color of the individual actively growing leaves within the turf and that turf color varies with nutrient level and time of year with some varieties being darker or lighter green depending on such factors.

Ba 77-279 demonstrates a dark green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season. It also has a medium wide leaf, good density and seedling vigor. Comparisons of Ba 77-279 with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties for quality, color, density and seedling vigor are set forth hereinafter in Tables

                  TABLE 9                                                          ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass              Varieties In Three Tests Conducted at Nineteen (19) Locations in the           U.S. in Three Tests Conducted.                                                            Test (Annual Means)                                                 Variety      A            B     C                                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279    6.1          6.4   5.9                                            Ba 73-366    5.5          5.5   5.3                                            Ba 73-381    5.4          5.6   5.3                                            Ba 74-114    5.3          5.6   5.1                                            Abbey        5.5          5.5   5.3                                            Able I       5.8          6.1   5.9                                            A-34         5.6          5.7   5.5                                            Banff        6.0          5.9   5.4                                            Baron        5.8          5.7   5.3                                            Classic      5.8          5.9   5.4                                            Coventry     5.9          6.0   5.7                                            Eclipse      5.9          6.2   6.0                                            Estate       5.9          5.9   5.6                                            Georgetown   5.9          5.9   5.4                                            Glade        6.2          6.0   5.6                                            Gnome        5.5          5.5   5.3                                            Haga         5.9          5.8   5.5                                            Kelly        5.5          5.4   5.2                                            Kenblue      4.6          4.5   4.3                                            Marquis      5.4          5.5   5.4                                            Merion       4.2          4.8   4.9                                            Merit        5.4          5.5   5.3                                            Midnight     6.2          6.4   6.3                                            Monopoly     5.3          5.5   5.3                                            Nassau       5.6          5.8   5.2                                            Ram I        6.1          5.9   5.4                                            South Dakota 4.1          4.2   4.2                                            Touchdown    5.5          5.9   5.5                                            LSD (.05)    0.3          0.2   0.2                                            ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = ideal turf                                        

                  TABLE 10                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky                  Bluegrass Varieties in Three Tests (A-C) Conducted at Ten (10)                 Locations in the US                                                                       TESTS (Annual Means)                                                Variety      A            B     C                                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279    6.9          6.8   7.2                                            Ba 74-114    7.0          7.2   7.2                                            Ba 73-366    5.5          5.5   5.9                                            Ba 73-381    6.0          5.7   6.4                                            Abbey        5.6          5.9   5.8                                            Able I       6.6          6.8   6.8                                            A-34         5.0          5.4   4.6                                            Banff        5.1          6.0   5.5                                            Baron        6.0          6.0   5.9                                            Classic      5.2          5.9   5.2                                            Coventry     5.9          5.6   5.8                                            Eclipse      6.3          6.6   6.4                                            Estate       5.8          5.3   5.3                                            Georgetown   5.2          6.1   5.3                                            Glade        6.7          6.3   6.7                                            Gnome        6.0          6.1   5.8                                            Haga         5.1          5.8   5.3                                            Kelly        5.6          5.7   6.1                                            Kenblue      4.6          5.0   5.3                                            Marquis      6.1          6.1   6.4                                            Merion       5.7          5.8   5.4                                            Merit        5.7          5.7   6.2                                            Midnight     7.1          7.3   7.7                                            Monopoly     4.8          4.9   4.8                                            Nassau       6.0          6.6   6.5                                            Ram I        6.7          5.9   6.6                                            South Dakota 4.5          4.8   4.7                                            Touchdown    5.5          5.5   5.3                                            LSD (.05)    0.5          0.4   0.7                                            ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = dark green.                                       

                  TABLE 11                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Fall Density of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky                   Bluegrass Varieties at Martinsville, New Jersey                                Variety        Fall Density                                                    ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279      7.0                                                             Ba 73-366      5.3                                                             Ba 73-381      5.3                                                             Ba 74-114      5.7                                                             Abbey          4.7                                                             Able I         4.7                                                             A-34           5.7                                                             Banff          6.3                                                             Baron          5.7                                                             Classic        6.3                                                             Coventry       6.0                                                             Eclipse        5.3                                                             Estate         5.0                                                             Georgetown     6.7                                                             Glade          5.7                                                             Gnome          6.0                                                             Haga           6.7                                                             Kelly          5.0                                                             Kenblue        5.0                                                             Marquis        5.7                                                             Merion         3.7                                                             Merit          5.3                                                             Midnight       7.3                                                             Monopoly       5.0                                                             Nassau         5.3                                                             Ram I          6.7                                                             South Dakota   3.0                                                             Touchdown      5.7                                                             LSD (.05)      1.4                                                             ______________________________________                                          Ratings Scale: 1-9; 9 = maximum density                                  

                  TABLE 12                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky                   Bluegrass Varieties at Martinsville, NJ.                                       Variety        Leaf Texture                                                    ______________________________________                                         BA 77-279      5.3                                                             Ba 74-114      4.0                                                             Ba 73-366      4.3                                                             Ba 73-381      4.0                                                             Abbey          5.0                                                             Able I         5.7                                                             A-34           4.3                                                             Banff          5.3                                                             Baron          5.0                                                             Classic        5.3                                                             Coventry       5.0                                                             Eclipse        5.7                                                             Estate         4.3                                                             Georgetown     6.0                                                             Glade          5.0                                                             Gnome          5.3                                                             Haga           5.7                                                             Kelly          4.3                                                             Kenblue        6.0                                                             Marquis        4.3                                                             Merion         4.0                                                             Merit          4.7                                                             Midnight       6.7                                                             Monopoly       5.0                                                             Nassau         5.0                                                             Ram I          5.0                                                             South Dakota   3.7                                                             Touchdown      5.3                                                             LSD (.05)      0.9                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine                                         

                  TABLE 13                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Seedling Vigor of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky                 Bluegrass Varieties at Six Locations in the the U.S. and Canada*               Variety       Seedling Vigor Mean                                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279     6.2                                                              Ba 73-366     6.3                                                              Ba 73-381     6.3                                                              Ba 74-114     5.3                                                              Abbey         6.4                                                              Able I        6.3                                                              A-34          6.0                                                              Banff         7.7                                                              Baron         6.7                                                              Classic       7.1                                                              Coventry      6.1                                                              Eclipse       6.1                                                              Estate        6.1                                                              Georgetown    7.0                                                              Glade         6.7                                                              Gnome         6.3                                                              Haga          7.1                                                              Kelly         6.6                                                              Kenblue       7.4                                                              Marquis       6.3                                                              Merion        2.6                                                              Merit         6.4                                                              Midnight      5.4                                                              Monopoly      7.1                                                              Nassau        6.4                                                              Ram I         6.5                                                              South Dakota  6.7                                                              Touchdown     5.8                                                              LSD (.05)     0.7                                                              ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Maximum vigor                                           Locations: Fort Collins, CO; Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick, NJ; Adelphi      NJ; Richmond Hill, Ontario; pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais,      OR.                                                                      

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance. Ba 77-279 has been found to have a high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out caused by Drechslera poae (formerly called Helminthosporium vagans). Ba 77-279 furthermore has been found to have a medium to high level of resistance to dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoecarpa and to several rust diseases caused by Puccinia spp.

Comparisons of disease incidence of Ba 77-279 as compared with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, dollar spot, and rusts, are presented in Tables 14-18.

                  TABLE 14                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Spot Incidence in Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky            Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Tests Conducted at Seven (7) Locations          in the U.S.                                                                                  Means                                                            Variety         Test 1* Test 2**                                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279       6.0     7.4                                                    Ba 73-366       4.3     5.1                                                    Ba 73-381       2.0     5.8                                                    Ba 74-114       4.7     6.8                                                    Abbey           4.7     5.1                                                    Able I          6.0     7.1                                                    A-34            4.7     5.4                                                    Banff           4.7     5.9                                                    Baron           4.0     5.4                                                    Classic         3.3     5.4                                                    Coventry        3.7     5.8                                                    Eclipse         6.3     7.4                                                    Estate          4.0     5.9                                                    Georgetown      6.0     6.3                                                    Glade           3.0     4.8                                                    Gnome           3.7     5.7                                                    Haga            3.7     5.9                                                    Kelly           4.7     5.1                                                    Kenblue         1.7     1.8                                                    Marquis         3.7     5.6                                                    Merion          7.3     7.3                                                    Merit           4.3     5.4                                                    Midnight        5.7     6.6                                                    Monopoly        4.3     5.2                                                    Nassau          4.3     6.2                                                    Ram I           4.3     4.9                                                    South Dakota    1.0     1.8                                                    Touchdown       5.3     6.3                                                    LSD (.05)       1.5     0.7                                                    ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                              *Locations: Pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR.                  **Locations: Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick and Adelphia, NJ; Marysville      OH LSD                                                                   

                  TABLE 15                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Dollar Spot Disease Incidence of Ba 77-279 and Other           Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three (3) Tests Conducted at Five (5)          Locations in the U.S.                                                                    Means                                                                Variety     Test A.sup.1                                                                               Test B.sup.2                                                                           Test C.sup.3                                   ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279   8.3         7.8     7.0                                            Ba 73-366   8.3         7.1     6.2                                            Ba 73-381   7.3         6.6     6.4                                            Ba 74-114   8.3         7.9     4.8                                            Abbey       8.0         6.8     6.3                                            Able I      8.3         6.8     6.1                                            A-34        7.7         6.7     6.0                                            Banff       7.7         6.4     6.2                                            Baron       7.7         6.9     6.8                                            Classic     8.0         7.4     6.3                                            Coventry    7.7         5.9     5.9                                            Eclipse     8.3         7.5     7.2                                            Estate      8.3         5.3     5.6                                            Georgetown  8.0         6.9     6.1                                            Glade       7.7         7.0     6.4                                            Gnome       8.0         6.7     6.1                                            Haga        7.7         6.3     6.2                                            Kelly       8.0         7.3     6.3                                            Kenblue     8.0         6.8     6.8                                            Marquis     8.0         6.8     6.7                                            Merion      7.7         6.9     6.1                                            Merit       8.0         6.8     6.7                                            Midnight    8.3         8.0     6.6                                            Monopoly    8.0         7.1     6.7                                            Nassau      8.0         7.4     6.7                                            Ram I       7.3         6.0     4.9                                            South Dakota                                                                               8.0         7.3     5.8                                            Touchdown   8.0         6.8     6.1                                            LSD (.05)   0.9         1.1     0.8                                            ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                              .sup.1 Locations: Kingston, RI                                                 .sup.2 Locations: Urbana, IL; Adelphia, NJ; Kingston, RI; Haymarket, VA        .sup.3 Locations: Urbana, IL; Silver Spring, MD; Kingston, RI            

                  TABLE 16                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Stem Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-279 and Other             Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Kingston, R.I.                                 Variety        Stem Rust                                                       ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279      7.3                                                             Ba 73-366      6.7                                                             Ba 73-381      7.3                                                             Ba 74-114      5.7                                                             Abbey          7.0                                                             Able I         3.3                                                             A-34           4.3                                                             Banff          7.7                                                             Baron          7.0                                                             Classic        8.0                                                             Coventry       6.7                                                             Eclipse        4.0                                                             Estate         6.3                                                             Georgetown     8.7                                                             Glade          7.7                                                             Gnome          7.0                                                             Haga           8.0                                                             Kelly          8.0                                                             Kenblue        5.7                                                             Marquis        6.7                                                             Merion         1.0                                                             Merit          6.3                                                             Midnight       8.0                                                             Monopoly       6.3                                                             Nassau         8.0                                                             Ram I          8.0                                                             South Dakota   4.3                                                             Touchdown      2.3                                                             LSD (.05)      1.4                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                        

                  TABLE 17                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-279 and Other             Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Kingston, R.I.                                 Variety        Leaf Rust                                                       ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279      6.0                                                             Ba 74-114      6.7                                                             Ba 73-366      5.7                                                             Ba 73-381      6.3                                                             Abbey          6.3                                                             Able I         7.0                                                             A-34           6.0                                                             Banff          7.0                                                             Baron          8.3                                                             Classic        8.7                                                             Coventry       7.0                                                             Eclipse        5.7                                                             Estate         6.3                                                             Georgetown     7.7                                                             Glade          7.0                                                             Gnome          6.7                                                             Haga           7.0                                                             Kelly          5.0                                                             Kenblue        6.7                                                             Marquis        6.3                                                             Merion         2.3                                                             Merit          6.0                                                             Midnight       6.0                                                             Monopoly       5.3                                                             Nassau         7.0                                                             Ram I          6.7                                                             South Dakota   6.7                                                             Touchdown      3.7                                                             LSD (.05)      2.4                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                        

                  TABLE 18                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Stripe Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-279 and Other           Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Tests Conducted at Three Locations.sup.1/      in                                                                             Oregon                                                                         Variety        Stripe Rust                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279      6.0                                                             Ba 74-114      6.7                                                             Ba 73-366      5.0                                                             Ba 73-381      4.7                                                             Abbey          4.3                                                             Able I         6.0                                                             A-34           5.0                                                             Banff          6.0                                                             Baron          6.0                                                             Classic        6.3                                                             Coventry       5.0                                                             Eclipse        6.0                                                             Estate         5.7                                                             Georgetown     6.3                                                             Glade          3.0                                                             Gnome          4.7                                                             Haga           6.3                                                             Kelly          5.0                                                             Kenblue        3.3                                                             Marquis        5.3                                                             Merion         3.7                                                             Merit          5.0                                                             Midnight       4.7                                                             Monopoly       5.3                                                             Nassau         5.3                                                             Ram I          6.0                                                             South Dakota   4.0                                                             Touchdown      3.0                                                             LSD (.05)      1.2                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                              .sup.1/ Pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, Oregon.            

Ba 77-279 has shown good drought tolerance and has a medium seed yielding capability. Comparisons for drought tolerance and seed yields of Ba 77-279 with other Kentucky Bluegrass are presented in Table 19-20.

                  TABLE 19                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Drought Tolerance of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky              Bluegrass Varieties at Carbondale, IL.                                         Variety       Drought Tolerance                                                ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279     5.0                                                              Ba 73-366     3.0                                                              Ba 73-381     2.0                                                              Ba 74-114     3.0                                                              Abbey         3.7                                                              Able I        4.0                                                              A-34          4.0                                                              Banff         4.7                                                              Baron         3.0                                                              Classic       3.7                                                              Coventry      4.3                                                              Eclipse       4.0                                                              Estate        4.7                                                              Georgetown    4.0                                                              Glade         3.7                                                              Gnome         3.3                                                              Haga          4.0                                                              Kelly         2.7                                                              Kenblue       2.7                                                              Marquis       3.3                                                              Merion        3.7                                                              Merit         2.7                                                              Midnight      4.3                                                              Monopoly      2.7                                                              Nassau        3.3                                                              Ram I         4.7                                                              South Dakota  2.7                                                              Touchdown     4.7                                                              LSD (.05)     1.6                                                              ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no dormancy                                       

                  TABLE 20                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Seed Yield in Pounds Per Acre of Ba 77-279 and                 Coventry Kentucky Bluegrass In Two (2) Tests Conducted at Gervais,             Oregon.                                                                                        Test A  Test B                                                 ______________________________________                                         Ba 77-279       672     382                                                    Coventry        568     425                                                    LSD (.05)       162      97                                                    ______________________________________                                     

What is claimed is:
 1. A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out disease; a medium to high level of resistance to several rust diseases and dollar spot; a dark green color throughout the growing season; a good level of drought tolerance; high quality dense persistent turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; and a medium level of seed yielding capacity. 